Thrasher acquires Blackwood Associates in business deal

Blackwood Associates, which has operated in the area since 1959, has been involved in a number of projects around the state. It specializes in designing educational, medical and governmental buildings, according to Craig Baker, principal and architecture department manager for Thrasher.

“They were kind of a perfect fit for us to acquire, because they’re essentially leaders in the educational industry and bring a pretty impressive body of work with them,” Baker said. “We have been in existence as an architectural staff here at Thrasher since 2005, and basically this will provide us an opportunity to expand those services.”

Kenton Blackwood, vice president, designer and project manager at Blackwood Associates, expressed his enthusiasm to be working as part of Thrasher.

“I am very excited to have Blackwood Associates acquired by Thrasher. I think this is going to be beneficial to both the firms,” Blackwood said. “We bring a lot of experience in the architectural practice to Thrasher.”

Blackwood listed a number of the firm’s accomplishments, which include the William R. Sharpe Jr. Hospital in Weston, Stonewall Jackson Lake Resort, the Harrison County 4-H Center and the Veterans Nursing Home in Clarksburg.

By incorporating this architectural acumen into Thrasher’s operations, the company will be able to bid on more projects and provide more expertise to clients, Baker said. Now the company won’t be as limited in what they can do, he said.

“Now we can do the entire project from start to finish,” Baker said. “I think it reduces the burden on the owner when they only have to deal with one consultant.”

Baker added that the client relationships Blackwood Associates has established over decades of operation also will prove an asset.

“Their management team has done a great job of building and maintaining relationships, proven by their 50 years of existence,” Baker said.

The two companies are like-minded in their commitment to seeing projects through to completion no matter what it takes, he said.

Blackwood sounded extremely optimistic as he looked toward the future and what he and his colleagues will be able to accomplish as part of Thrasher.

“Thrasher is one of the fastest-growing companies in the country, and by combining our experience and design skills with their resources and experience, I think we make a very strong team,” he said.

Staff writer Jeremiah Shelor can be reached at (304) 626-1409 or by email at jshelor@theet.com